The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-26
The Fate of Patagonia.

There used to be a place called Pata-
gonia. 1t appears on our biographies
now says writer in Harper'S Magazine,
as "a drear and uninhabitable waste
upon which heads of wild horses and
cattle Craze, that are hunted for their
flesh by few bands of savage Indians
of immense stature" l am quoting
from a school book published in 1886
and in common use in this country.
The same. geography gives similar in
formation about "the Argentine con-
federation" 1t would be just as polite
and proper to call this the "Confeder.
ate States of America. A bitter
bloody war was fought to wipe that
name off the map, but our publishers
still insist upon keeping it there. 1t is
not q confederation; it 10 a nation with
a big IN" like ours-one and INSOFAR
able, united we stand, divided we fall,
and all that sort of thing. the Argen-
tine Republic. To call it anything else
is an insult to the patriots who fought
to make it so, and reflection upon
our own intelligence.
Several years ago Patagonia was d.
vided between Chill and the Argentine
Republic, the ministers from the United
States to those two countries doing the
c.rying. Tho SUBMITS of the Cordil-
ie.ies " 5ge fixed as the boundary lines.
Chi. took the Strait of Magellan and
the slip along the Pacific coast between
the mountains and the sea, and the Ar
gentine Republic the pampas, tho arch
ipelago of TERRA del Fuego being di-
vided between them. Since the par
tition ranchmen have been pushing
southwark with great rapidly, and
now the vast territory is practically oc-
cupied. There are no more wild cattle
or horses there than in Kansas and the
dreary uninhabitcd wastes of Patagonia
have gone into oblivion with the
Great American desert"
The remnant of vast tribe of abort
gines still occupies the interior, but the
Indian problem of the Argentine Re-
public was solved in a summary way.
There was considerable annoyance on
the frontier from bands of rowing sava-
ges, who used to come north in the
winter time, steal cattle, rob and raw
ish, and the outposts of civilization
were not safe. Gen. Roca, the Sheri-
dan of the River Plate, was sent with
brigade of cavalry to the frontier TO
prevent this sort of thing. East and
west across the territory runs the Rio
Negro. swift, turbid stream like the
Missouri, with high banks. Fifty miles
or so from the mountains the river
makes turn in its course, and leaves
narrow pathway through which every
thing that enters or leaves Patagonia
by land must 60 Across this pass of
fifty miles Gen. Roca dug ditch twelve
feet deep and fifteen feet wide. The
Indians, to the number of several thous-
and, were north when the work was
done, raiding the settlements. As
spring came they turned to 60 south
ward as usual. in long caravan, with
their stolen horses and cattle. Roca
galloped around their rear, and drove
them night and day before him. When
they reached the ditch they became be-
wildered. for they could not cross it.
and after n few days of slaughter the
remnant that survived surrendered,
and were distributed through the army
as soldiers, while the women were sent
into semi slavery among the ranch
men they had robbed. The dead ami
mails and men were buried together in
the ditch, and there has been no fur
Their annoyance from Indians on the
frontier.